Autumn delight: Baked chicken in leek sauce with a twist

Sometimes the success of a dish hinges on the tiniest details. Chicken in creamy leek sauce is a perfect example of this. Would just salt, pepper, and sweet paprika season this dish well enough? It would probably still be a meal that pleases everyone, but it would lack that special "something." In my opinion, for this particular dish, it's a certain well-known spice from a distant land.

What ingredient am I referring to? You may have already guessed. It turns out that just a pinch of curry can give the chicken in creamy leek sauce the perfect taste. Of course, you still need to put the recipe into action. How do you ensure the chicken doesn't turn out dry and nothing gets burnt? Here's how.

Ingredients:

• 2 double chicken breasts,
• 2 leeks,
• 2 garlic cloves,
• 350 ml double cream,
• 100 g cheddar cheese,
• salt,
• pepper,
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika,
• thyme,
• curry.

Instructions:

1. Remove any tendons or adhesions from the chicken breasts, then cut them into several smaller pieces.
2. Season with a bit of salt, pepper, and sweet paprika.
3. Clean the leeks thoroughly, as sand often hides in hard-to-reach areas, then cut into half-slices and transfer to a greased oven-safe dish.
4. Place the chicken on the leeks and sprinkle grated cheese over the meat.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the cream with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, and curry powder. Adjust to taste: in my case, it's more curry and less thyme, but feel free to do the opposite.
6. Pour the prepared sauce over the meat.
7. Place the dish (covered) into a preheated oven at 180°C. Bake for about 40 minutes, uncovering for the last 5 minutes. Done!